Process for the recovery of oily ink from cloths.



, M. s. HOPKINS. PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF OILY INK FROM CLOTHS.'

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 13, 1910. Y

1,021,737. PatentdMar. 26, 1912.

WITNESSES INVENTOR @w fio/ i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

v mnrnnwf's. HOPKINS, or BAL'rmronE, MARYLAND, nssienon- 'ro THE srirmrn RncovERY COMPANY OF \nmnnron, or nnngrmonn, MARYLAND.

rnoonss non. THE nncovnnY Specification of Letters Patent;

or ormr mom cnorns Patented, Mar. 26, 191.2.

. Application filed May 13, 19,10, -Sria1io.661-,165.

- v of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Processes for the Recovery of Oily Ink from Cloths; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others'skilled in the art'to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the recovery of oily ink from plate rags and similar waste, one object of the invention being to so treat ink ladened rags or similar material as to effectually remove the oily ink therefrom and to recover the ink, without injuring the pigment, the oil or the rags.

A further object is to remove the oily ink from the rags with the use of a solvent in which the oil and pigment can he subsequently precipitated or conglomerated and then separated from such solvent and recovered.

' With these objects in view, the inventionconsists in certainnovel steps inthe process of recovering oily ink from rags and the like, as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims. 1

The accompanying drawing shows apparatus' with the use of which my improved process can be carried into effect.

1 represents a washer comprising a rigidly supported casing 2 inclosing a perforated cylinder 3 having tubular journals 45 mounted in suitable bearings at the ends of the casing 2. The journal 4 carries a pulley 6 to which power is transmitted by a strap 7 from a pulley 8 on a line shaft 9, for rotating said perforated cylinder. Therevoluble inner cylinder 3 of the washer is provided with heating pipes 10 to which steam is conducted by a pipe 11 passing through'the tubular journal 5, and the exhaust from the heating pipes 10 finds an exit by way of a pipe 12 extending through the journal 4 of cylinder 3. The outer casing 2 of the washer is provided with a covered inlet at 13 and the inner cylinder is similarly provided with a covered inlet 1 '4 for the introduction of ink ladened rags.

A pipe 15 (provided with a valve 16) communicates atone end with the'bottom of the washer 1, and at the other end-"with a churn or conglomerator 17, the latter com- ;prising a hollow body provided with tubular trunnions or journals 18 and 19, with the former of which the pipe 15 communicates. The churn or comglomenator may be rbtated in any suitable manner'tfora itating its contents. For instance, it may be provided with acircumferential gear 20 which receives motion from a pinion 21 on a shaft 22,t he latter being provided with a pulley 23 to receive motion, by means of a strap 24,

from, a pulley 25 on the line shaft 9. The

churn or conglomerator is provided with a covered opening at 26, through which the conglomerated contents can be removed.

The churn or conglome'rator 17 is provided with an outlet pipe or nipple 27 with which a flexible pipe 28 is connected by.

means of a detachable coupling 29. Valves 27 a and 27 b are located at respective sides of the coupling 29. The other end of the flexible pipe is connected with one end of a pipe 30, the other end of which communicates with a pipe 231 connected with the bottom of a still 32, said pipe 31 being provided with a valve 33 below its connection with the pipe 30. A pipe 34 communicates at one end with-the upper end of the still 32 and at the otherend with the coil of a condenser.

35. The other end of the condenser coil is connected, .(by means of apipe 36 provided with a valve 37) with a tank or container 38, and the latter is connected (by means of a pipe 39 having a valve 40) with the washer 1. a

A comparatively small quantity. of water (Say approximately 20% of water to of solvent in ink) will be run into the bottom of the still 32, through the pipe 31, and a portion of this water will be forced into the churn or conglomerator 17 through the pipes 28-30 by means of a pump 41 located in the circuit of the pipe 30, for a purpose hereinafter explained. A by-pass 42 is connected with the pipe 30 at respective sides of the pump 41, and this by-pass is provided with a valve 43. v

In the operation of my invention, I employ a solvent for the oily ink which is miscible with water,,so that when the liquor, consisting of the solvent and the ingredients of the'oily ink, is subjected to the action of :a small quantity of water, the oil and pigment will be precipitated or conglomerated.

Thus solvents such as alcohol, esters, acetone, etc., can be employed in the operation of my invention. Excellent results can be attained With the use of acetone.

To recover the oily ink from ink-ladened cloths, the latter are placed in the perforated cylinder 3 of the washer and the latter supplied with a quantity of solvent, such as acetone, from the tank or container 38. The openings 13+14: will be closed, and then .the perforated cylinder 3 will be rotated,

the contents of the washer being suitably heated during agitation of the ink-ladened cloths in the solvent, by "steam passing through the pipes 10. The liquor resulting from this treatment ofthe cloths in the Washer, is discharged throughthe pipe 15 into the churn 17, and a small quantity of water, suflicient to cause-precipitation of the oil and pigment in the solvent, is forced from the bottom of the still, through the pipes 80 and 28. The valves 27* and 27 will then be closed and the pipe uncoupled from the pipe or nipple 27. The churn 17 will now be rotatedto cause the churning of the liquor and the consequent conglomeration of the oily ink therein,-the presence of. the water in the liquor causing sufficient. precipitation of the oily ink to permit the churning operation to conglomerate or 001'- lect the same in a mass. When ,the churning operation shall have been completed, the oily ink, which is heavier than the solvent, will, be at the bottom. The churn may then be turned to elevate the nipple 27 above the level of the ink, and the pipe 28 will be again coupled to said pipe or nipple 27. The valves 27' and 27', as well as the valve 43 in the by-pass 42 will then be opened and the solution (consisting of the solvent and water) will be discharged into the still. Sufficient heat will be applied to the still (preferably by meansof a steam jacket 44:) to

volatilize the solvent, and the still is made of such height that any water which might be vaporized will be condensed before it can reach the condenser. The volatilized solvent will escape from the top of the still, through, the pipe 34 and pass through the coil of the condenser 35. The condensed solvent will flow from the condenser to the tank or container 38, and from the latter, it can be run to the pipe 39 to the washer l, to be again used for removing oily ink from ink-ladened cloths.

The mass of pigment and oil in the churn or drum 17 will be washed to remove as much as possible of the acetone or other solvent, with the use of water pumped from the still to said churn, and this water will be run back into the still and the solvent volatilized as before explained.v

By the operation of my invention, the oily ink is removed from the cloths and recovered as oily ink in the churn or drum 17 without injury to the oil or the pigment. The mass of oily ink,after having been removed from ,the churn or drum 17, may be ground on a roller ink mill, to express any Water which it might contain, when it will be ready for use as ink. After the cloths have been sufliciently freed from pigment and oil, they may be dried in the washer.

The washer may be connected, by means.

2. The herein described process, consisting in treating material containing oily inkwith a solvent which is miscible with water, adding water to the resultant liquor, and churning the liquor to conglomerate the oily ink and permit the recovery of said oily ink as such.

3. The herein described process consisting in washing material ladened with oily. ink in acetone, adding water to the resultant liquor, and churning the liquor to conglomerate the oily ink and permit the recovery of the oily ink as such. I

4. The herein described process, consisting in agitating material ladened with oily ink, in the presence of a solvent miscible with water, adding water to the resultant liquor churning the liquor to conglomerate the oily ink, distilling the liquor to volatilize the solvent, and finallycondensing the volatilized solvent. i M

5. The herein described method, consisting in treating material containing oily ink with a solvent, treating the resultant liquor to conglomerate the oily ink and divorce them from the solvent, and recovering oily ink and the solvent separately.

6. The herein described process consisting in extracting oily ink from material containing the same, mixing with the liquor, liquid miscible with the solvent but not with the ink, agitating the whole to precipitate the oily ink and separate it from the solvent. In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification. in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' MATHEW S. HOPKINS.

Witnesses: I

T. MAURICE, WILLIAM BARLOW. 

